The Cast of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Pens Open Letter Asking for James Gunn’s Reinstatement

As each day passes, it seems less and less likely that Disney would rehire James Gunn, following his abrupt firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3after old tweets with insensitive and offensive material came back to light. A petition that garnered nearly 350,000 signatures did nothing. But if anything might change Disney’s mind, it is this: An open letter from the entire main cast of Guardians of the Galaxy in support of Gunn, requesting that he be “reinstated as director of Vol. 3”:

The crucial passage, in my opinion:

There is little due process in the court of public opinion. James is likely not the last good person to be put on trial. Given the growing political divide in this country it’s safe to say instances like this will continue, although we hope Americans from across the political spectrum can ease up on the character assassinations and stop weaponizing mob mentality.

I like that the letter is signed “The Guardians of the Galaxy” and not “the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy.” (A “frickin’” in there would have been nice though.) It also notes that whatever happens, they all look forward to working “with our friend James again in the future.”

There are no threats here; they don’t refuse to make Guardians Vol. 3 if James Gunn isn’t involved. But the fact that the cast is creating a united front (including major names like Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper, along with Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana, who previously would only say she would “take everything in” before speaking) is a pretty big deal. The ball is now definitely in Disney’s court.